Daily Thoughts about God

As you come to him, “you, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house.” 1 Peter 2:5

Stones of all shapes and size have been used for centuries in the building process. Traveling through the heather-covered rolling hills of Scotland, one sees mile after mile of low stone fences. A family in Pennsylvania scoured nearby fields for rocks to form a massive fireplace in their new home.

For rocks and stones to fulfill a specific purpose – whether fence or fireplace – they must fit together. A fence builder may fill gaps with smaller pieces of rock while the mason will chip off rough or protruding edges and use cement to construct a sturdy wall.

The 17th century monk, Brother Lawrence, wrote, “Sometimes I consider myself as a stone before a carver as he prepares to make a statue. Presenting myself thus before God, I desire him to form his perfect image in my soul and make me entirely like himself.”

God is in the business of forming each of us – each of his living stones – into the perfect form that will build an edifice that brings glory to him and displays his love to the world. I often don’t like the chipping away process, but I need to understand and submit for his greater glory.

Lord, thank you that you form each of us according to a beautiful master plan. You make no mistakes and will not give up on your goal to use each one of in the building of a spiritual house. Help me see glimpses of that house as I submit to your love.

by Marilyn Ehle
Used by Permission

“For a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith ”of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire ”may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Peter 1:6-7

With a strong forearm, the apron-clad blacksmith puts his tongs into the fire, grasps the heated metal, and places it on the anvil. His keen eye examines the glowing piece. He sees what the tool is now and envisions what he wants it to be – sharper, flatter, wider, longer. With a clear picture in his mind, he begins to pound. His left hand still clutching the hot mass with the tongs, his right hand slams the two-pound sledge upon the moldable metal.

On the solid anvil, the smoldering iron is remolded.

The smith knows the type of instrument he wants. He knows the size. He knows the shape. He knows the strength.

Whang! Whang! The hammer slams. The shop rings with the noise, the air fills with smoke, and the softened metal responds.

But the response doesn’t come easily. It doesn’t come without discomfort. To melt down the old and recast it as new is a disrupting process. Yet the metal remains on the anvil, allowing the toolmaker to remove the scars, repair the cracks, refill the voids, and purge the impurities.

And with time, a change occurs: What was dull becomes sharpened, what was crooked becomes straight, what was weak becomes strong, and what was useless becomes valuable.

Then the blacksmith stops. He ceases his pounding and sets down his hammer. With a strong left arm, he lifts the tongs until the freshly molded metal is at eye level. In the still silence, he examines the smoking tool. The incandescent implement is rotated and examined for any mars or cracks.

There are none.

Now the smith enters the final stage of his task. He plunges the smoldering instrument into a nearby bucket of water. With a hiss and a rush of steam, the metal immediately begins to harden. The heat surrenders to the onslaught of cool water, and the pliable, soft mineral becomes an unbending useful tool.

By Max Lucado
Used by permission
From: On the Anvil

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
http://maxlucado.com/about/

Stones

As you come to him, “you, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house.” 1 Peter 2:5

FURTHER READING

On the Anvil

FURTHER READING

Daily Thoughts about God Posts

Stones

As you come to him, “you, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house.” 1 Peter 2:5

FURTHER READING

On the Anvil

FURTHER READING